


Words Left Unsaid

by w00t4ewan



Category: Community (TV), Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Background Relationships, Crossover, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-25 05:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3798991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w00t4ewan/pseuds/w00t4ewan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frankie seeks therapy to deal with the demons of her past but things quickly become overwhelming as she uncovers the truth behind her sister's death. Meanwhile, JJ is forced to face feelings from her own troubled past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Phoenix_Falls for spending an entire day coming up with this concept and for being my beta.

Frankie Dart sat on an uncomfortable over sized couch staring at the clock on the wall, trying her best to will time to move faster. This was her least favorite hour of the week but she knew, deep down, that therapy had been helping her deal with her past demons. It didn't however, make it enjoyable. 

"Frankie?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Frank said suddenly joining the conversation again. She had a tendency to let her mind wander during her sessions. It was her way of avoiding the things that were too painful to talk about with her therapist.

"I know this is hard but I think it's time we talk about your sister," her therapist urged as she sipped at her coffee. She stared down her nose through dark framed glasses int he brunette's direction waiting for a response. 

"Can we not?" 

"Frankie, you're coming up on the four year anniversary of her death. I think it's important that you talk about what happened." She repositioned herself in her chair and readied her pen to take notes. Frankie shifted on the couch across from her and frowned, knowing her therapist was not going to let up on this line of questioning. 

Frankie took a deep breath and shrugged half heartedly, "What do you want to know?"

"Start from the beginning."

"Well, I don't know. Growing up was a bit sporadic seeing as we were constantly moving around. It was hard to make friends when you're young and you're in a foreign country. But we always had each other. We were close, she and I. We were always playing pranks on our parents and trying to confuse them on which of us was which. Twin stuff, you know?" Frankie stared at the window as she remembered that time so very long ago when she was happy. It had been years since she felt so free and whimsy. 

"Go on," the therapist urged, grateful Frankie finally seemed to be opening up about her dark past. Frankie had been seeing Leigh Dolore for two months since her arrival in the small town of Greendale, Colorado. Frankie had left her home in Los Angeles after her father passed away and moved to the small town to get a fresh start. Despite her best efforts the demons of her past seemed to follow her to her new home and she had started having vivid night terrors almost immediately after settling her new roots. She had sought professional help at the suggestion of her friend and now found herself in therapy once a week. So far therapy hadn't seemed to be helping but Frankie was aware she would only get out of it as much as she put in, which to date was not very much. She usually spent the hour going on about work or talking about things that were seemingly unimportant, however her therapist was getting tired of small talk and was now demanding they talk about the real reason Frankie had sought help to begin with. 

"We were close, until Italy," Frankie stated flatly as if the statement would explain everything. 

"What happened in Italy?" Dolore pried. 

"We were fifteen we both had a crush on the same boy. He was so handsome and was two years older than us, Demetri. Well, he chose my sister. And I got jealous. Our parents wouldn't allow us to date so I kept their secret, even though I wasn't happy about their relationship. Things got out of hand though. She got pregnant," Frankie paused to brush a tear away. She thought back to the time when she was young and was forced to be her sister's keeper. 

"You knew? But you couldn't tell anyone?" Leigh asked for clarification. 

"Yes. I told her she should tell our parents but she was too scared. We were raised strict Catholic and she knew our parents would have made her keep the baby, they would have made her marry Demetri. That was the only option in our faith. I was disgusted that she had given herself away so easily to this boy she barely knew and i was sworn to protect her secret."

"What happened then?" 

"Demetri broke up with her when she told him. She was all alone and scared. I should have been there for her but I was young and confused. I told her she was a whore and she had brought shame to our whole family. She sought an abortion and made me swear to never tell our parents."

"And did you?"

"I was fifteen. She was a murderer in the eyes of our faith and I was loyal to my parents. I told them everything. My father wanted to kick her out, outcast her from the family, but my mother couldn't do it. Despite her faith she couldn't just abandon her child like that. I thought she should be thrown out, I never wanted to talk to her again, and I told her so. I called her unforgivable names and told her she would burn in hell. It was sin, she had sinned and I outcast my own sister," Frankie spat the last words out between loud sobs. Leigh handed her a box of tissue and she accepted it as she shook from crying. 

"This is good, Frankie. It's good to get it all out. You're not going to heal until you face your demons," Leigh suggested. "Just take your time."

Frankie finally calmed down enough to continue, "The whole ordeal caused my parents to fight. They moved us back to the states and things got even worse. My father never forgave her for getting an abortion and my mother just tried to pretend the whole thing hadn't happened. Eventually, my mother filed for divorce which was against our religion. My father filed for custody out of spite but he had been so emotionally abusive to my sister she begged to go with my mother. In the end she did. The last time I saw her was our high school graduation. My mother took off in the night and they moved to DC. They changed their name to my mother's maiden name and started a new life. I went to college and became independent, free of my father's religious persecution. I realized how horrible I had been and I sought to make amends. I wrote her letters throughout college but she never replied, so I finally stopped trying. I guess I don't blame her."

"It wasn't your fault. You were a child, a child who did something incredibly brave to save her sister."

"Save her?!" Frankie scoffed. "I'm the reason our family fell apart! When my father died she didn't even come to the funeral. Years went by and I wanted so desperately to tell her how sorry I was. I longed to fix the damage I had caused, to maybe repair our relationship. But then it was over and she was gone and it's too late now," Frankie buried her face in her hands as she broke down once more. She shook from the force of the sobs. After she had cried herself out she looked out the window with empty eyes and whispered, "Do you know how I found out?"

"Found out about what?"

"I found out my sister had died from a friend who lived in DC. She sent me the obituary in an email a month later. She said "Doesn't she look like you? Creepy!" I found out my sister had died through an email. My mother didn't even have the courtesy to contact me about the funeral. I missed her fucking funeral and I found out from a friend who didn't even know I had a twin. If she hadn't sent he obituary as a joke, a fucking joke, I wouldn't have even known she was dead."

"No one should ever have to find out a loved one like that. I'm sorry, Frankie."

"A fucking email," Frankie chuckled at the unfairness of it all. "Seventeen years. That's how long I went without talking to her. My own twin. Seventeen years...."

"Frankie, what was her name?"

"What?" Frankie looked at Leigh in confusion, as if she hadn't properly understood the question. 

"You've finally opened up about your sister but you still haven't told me her name."

"Her name?" Frankie paused and in that moment her entire relationship with her sister flashed through her mind. Years of growing up happy and carefree, making up secret languages, sharing clothes, taking care of each other while their parents were busy with work. Years of happiness stripped away because of one decision. The perfect family ripped apart by a fifteen year old with a big mouth. Frankie had spent her entire adult life running from her past and not talking about her sister was one of her best coping mechanisms. It was entirely too painful but she was spiraling out of control and the guilt was eating her alive. She knew she had to finally come clean about everything if she ever wanted to to come to terms with her past. She knew she finally had to say the name that she kept locked inside iron walls, buried deep within her mind. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Emily. Her name was Emily."

"Good, very good." Leigh wrote the name down in her notes as it was the very first time Frankie had divulged the information. She felt like she was finally getting somewhere. "Now let's talk about you."

"Me? What about me?"

"You have had this burden weighing on you for over two decades. I know you've been having night terrors but how else have you dealt with this?"

"Ha, that's implying I've dealt with it at all," Frankie laughed at the idea. Truth was she had gone through a long period of drug and alcohol abuse after college but had sobered up in her late twenties due to spending most of her time in and out of rehab before her father passed away. "Well I had my fair share of a destructive streak."

"And now? How do you deal with these emotions daily? How are you dealing with this loss?"

"I don't," Frankly admitted flatly. 

"You have to mourn your loss, Frankie. You have to mourn the loss of your father and your sister. Hell, you should even mourn the loss of your mother."

"But the bitch isn't dead," Frankie corrected. 

"Maybe not, but she abandoned you and that's something you've never faced. You went through far too much as a young child and you were never given the proper tools to grieve, I think that's why you have such bad anxiety now. You are wound up so tightly and just constantly waiting for the bottom to fall out. It's no way to live. You need to grieve your past so you can move on to the future."

"How am I supposed to move on? I see her face everyday when I look in the mirror. I had to take every mirror out of my house except the bathroom, she haunts me from my own reflection. I look into my eyes and I see hers staring back at me. Those eyes that were so full of hate and anger and disappointment. Those eyes that were so empty and now mine are just as void if not more. I've lost thirty pounds since she died. I've bounced around from job to job. I've been single nearly all that time because I can't stand to have to explain to a partner why I'm crying myself to sleep every night. I keep her obituary in a notebook in my nightstand and I have it memorized at this point. 'Emily Elaine Prentiss, died in the line of duty on March 7, 2011. She is survived by her mother Elizabeth Prentiss. She was a intricate part of an elite task force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Quantico, Virginia. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her' ... it didn't even mention me. Do you know what that feels like? To know she had an entire life, a world of people who loved her and cared about her and they don't even know I exist? Was it so easy for her to write me out of her life completely?"

"I think you are asking valid questions. But I think you're going to have to forgive yourself before you are able to forgive Emily."

"Forgive myself? How could I possibly? I will never get to see my sister again. I never got to tell her how sorry I am, about everything. She's gone and she never knew," Frankie covered her face as tears welled at her eyes. "She'll never know."

"Maybe not directly, but have you tried journaling?"

"I write her emails sometimes," Frankie admitted. 

"Good, that's good. And what do you say in these emails?"

"I tell her I'm sorry for everything and I tell her about my life now. My new job and the people I work with. I like to write emails because I can send them and not have them lying around to make me upset all over again. I can write down how I feel and release it into the abyss."

"That's a wonderful exercise. I encourage you to keep doing that when you start to feel depressed or guilty. It is good to release those negative emotions."

Frankie shrugged, "I don't feel wonderful about it. It's been nearly four years since she died and I feel worse than ever. This guilt has been eating away at me and I feel like I have nothing left to give. I'm so exhausted. I'm tired of living each day with these demons, I just want to give up."

"Give up how?"

"I mean, I'm not suicidal. I've been there, tried that. Two years ago I overdosed and was in a coma for a week but i managed to survive. Do you know what that's like? To be so tired of fighting that you try to kill yourself and you fail? It takes a part of you that you never recover from. I was in and out of the hospital for a while after that but then I just stopped caring. I stopped caring if I lived or died. I think I'm just apathetic to everything really. I'm tried of living this way but I'm too apathetic to kill myself so I'm just stuck in this in between."

"That's a dangerous place to be," Leigh looked down and jotted something down. She glanced up from her notepad, realized the time and frowned, "It looks like we're nearly out of time. Are you going to be safe when you leave here?"

"Like I said, I'm too apathetic to do anything."

"I need a yes or no, Frankie."

"Yes, I'll be safe," Frankie replied as she rolled her eyes. 

"Thank you. Now, I want you to consider visiting Emily's grave next month for the anniversary. I think it's time you did. Just think about it and we'll talk about it next week."

Frankie gathered her things and made her way out of the office and into her car. Once alone she broke down and let twenty years on anguish wash over her. She sobbed loudly all the way home. She only found a moment of peace when she arrived home and curled up on the couch with her favorite feline companion, Murphy. He was the only one who had never abandoned her and after seven years she had come to trust the little mustached cat with all of her secrets, he wouldn't judge her for having a breakdown. He simply kneaded his paws into her sweater and purred against her chest. 

Frankie spent the afternoon in and out of sleep on the couch, waking here and there from nightmares. She finally drug herself to bed around midnight. She pulled the obituary from her nightstand and stared into familiar eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at her sister and whispered over and over again, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." before finally falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A month later Frankie found herself standing in the parlor of a funeral home in Virginia. She was visibly shaking from a mixture of nerves and the cool rain that poured outside. She pulled her jacket tight around herself as an attempt to block out the rest of the world. The caretaker returned with a map of the grave yard and circled where Frankie would find what she was looking for. She thanked him and returned to the car, staring at the map in her hand. She was moments away from facing one of her deepest fears and she wasn't sure how to handle it. 

The rain trickled down her windshield as she drove past rows and rows of gravestones. She mad e alight turn and found the large tree marked on the map, Emily's grave would be nearby. Frankie took a deep breath and pulled a book from her purse. _Slaughterhouse Five_ by Kurt Vonnegut. It was Emily's absolute favorite book and she had lent it to Frankie when they were teens. The book which used to be in pristine condition was now tattered, torn and held together by tape from years of reading. Frankie always kept the book near to her and since Emily's death she had spent the past four years analyzing every dog eared page and highlighted sentence searching desperately for some sign of forgiveness. She held on to the book as if it were her security blanket and in many ways it was. Something so sentimental that had belonged to her sister, something that had meant so much and now it was all she had left. Frankie opened the book to chapter five and whispered, "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." before she finally grabbed her umbrella and made her way out of the car. 

She traipsed through the rain and mud until she found the headstone she had been looking for. _Emily Prentiss October 12, 1970 - March 7, 2011. Fidelity, Integrity, Bravery._ Frankie immediately broke into tears as she collapsed against the head stone. Those three words, their meaning given by the FBI, the very office that Emily had sworn to serve and that bureau had let her down. Frankie felt sick thinking about how her sister died in the line of duty while serving her country. The team that was supposed to protect her and still let Emily slip through their grasp. Frankie had spent countless hours trying to gather more information on her sister's death but it seemed like whatever happened had not even made a single news paper or head line. She found it odd that an FBI agent was killed in the line of duty and there was no record of it anywhere but she also knew Emily had worked for a special team and perhaps what had happened was so terrible they couldn't report it in civilian news outlets. The thought alone made her stomach flip and she doubled over, preparing to lose her stomach. 

"Easy there!" a voice said from behind as a hand reached out to stable her. 

Frankie caught her balance on the headstone and sunk into a heap in the mud. Her book fell into a puddle nearby and she grabbed it up sharply but it was too late, the damage had been done. Once she got a look at her handwritten notes running in the rain drenched margins she lost what little composure she had left. She began sobbing into her hands as the stranger positioned an umbrella over her head and stood idly by. 

"Ma'am, are you okay?" the woman asked. 

Frankie managed to catch her breath and looked up for the first time into the sparkling blue eyes of a petite blonde woman. The woman froze when they locked eyes as her mouth fell open, silently mouthing words Frankie couldn't make out. 

"Em....Emily?" the blonde dropped her umbrella as tears streamed down her face and she wrapped her arms around Frankie, squeezing the breath out of the brunette. "Emily! What are you doing here!?"

Frankie froze under the embrace of the woman. She cried at the mention of her sister's name and suddenly realized how unnerving it would be to visit Emily's grave and find Frankie there instead. Especially since she was sure none of Emily's friends knew Emily had a sister, let a lone a twin. She was frozen in fear. Here was someone who knew Emily, who had come to visit her grave and suddenly found herself face to face with whom she thought was a dead woman. Frankie thought the blonde was handling the thought of a ghost rather well, considering. 

"I'm sorry," Frankie mouthed without being able to actually make words. She pulled away from the woman and brushed the tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry I'm not...."

The woman looked into Frankie's eyes and her demeanor changed completely. She went rigid and backed away a few steps before reaching to her side and upholstering a gun which Frankie had not been aware of until that moment. 

"Who the fuck are you?" the woman asked as she drew her weapon on Frankie. 

Frankie put her hands in the air and tried to find her voice, "I'm her sister! I'm her sister! Please don't shoot me!"

The blonde eased up and lowered her weapon, "Sister?"

"Sister!" 

"Sister?" the blonde asked again as if she had been blindsided. 

"Sister," Frankie confirmed as she stood at attention, eyes still locked on the gun. 

"Fucking hell!" the blond exclaimed as she finally holstered her weapon. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I just, you look .... you look exactly like her."

"I'm her twin sister," Frankie explained. "Or I mean, I was...."

The blonde looked perplexed at the correction but was obviously overcome with the idea there was a second Emily standing in front of her. "I'm so sorry, I just never knew," the blonde offered. "I'm Jennifer Jareau, JJ for short."

"Francesca Dart, Frankie if you want. Only my mother calls my Francesca."

The blonde chuckled, "That sounds like the Ambassador alright."

"You know my mother?" 

"Absolutely. I'm sorry, I'm part of the BAU I used to work with Emily before..." JJ trailed off as she fished a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Frankie. Frankie realized she had begun crying again and accepted the tissue gratefully. The blonde smiled, studying the woman in front of her. "You really are the spitting image of her"

"Guilty, I guess," Frankie forced herself to ease up realizing this was the first person she had openly talked about Emily with in twenty years. 

"God, does she know you're here?" 

Frankie blinked in confusion. She was hesitant around anyone who had only moments before drawn a gun on her but now the blonde seemed to be asking if Frankie's deceased sister was aware of her presence at her grave site. Frankie decided JJ may not be entirely mentally stable as she took a few steps backwards. 

"I don't really believe in spirits," Frankie admitted slowly. 

JJ looked at her for a moment, trying to comprehend the brunette's response. She raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth, shut it and pursed her lips as she decided how to proceed. 

"Frankie, you don't know, do you?" JJ finally realized. 

Frankie shrugged, "Know what?"

JJ was suddenly very aware that Frankie had no idea the truth about Emily Prentiss. JJ was flooded by memories as she decided how to tell Frankie the sensitive information. "Maybe you should come over?" JJ offered. 

Frankie looked suspicious of the possibly mentally unstable blonde but something about the hurt in JJ's eyes and the way she was suddenly crying made Frankie agree. JJ exchanged her phone number and address and asked Frankie to come over in an hour, so give her enough time to get home and clean up a little. Frankie agreed and headed towards her hotel to change out of her drenched clothes. 

Once she had checked in and found her room Frankie collapsed on the bed in a heap of emotion. She curled into a ball and wept into the pillows until she had nothing more to give. She was exhausted but there was something about Jennifer Jareau that intrigued her. There was something about the way she looked at Frankie that said she had known Emily well in life and Frankie had come to DC for answers. She wasn't quite sure what to expect when she arrived at JJ's house but she was willing to accept whatever information JJ could provide about her sister's death. She mustered up her strength, changed into dry clothes and looked up directions to JJ's brownstone. 

The drive was thirty minutes with traffic and the rain didn't help her overall mood. Frankie made it without getting lost, which she was proud of. She was usually rubbish with directions even with the GPS on her phone. She felt completely vulnerable as she parked in the driveway. She tucked her book in her purse, took a deep breath and gave herself an encouraging nod in the rear view mirror. She exited the vehicle, opened her umbrella and made her way to the front door, taking note of the children's toys scattered throughout the small front yard. 

Frankie rang the door bell and waited, shortly after JJ opened the door with a smile on her face and welcomed Frankie in. She took her umbrella and coat and hung them in the hall closet. Frankie slipped her boots off and left them next to a tiny pair of shoes in the foyer. 

"My son, Henry," JJ smiled as she pointed at the shoes. "He's out with his father today. Can I get you something to drink? Wine?"

"Tea, if you have it," Frankie asked hopefully. 

"Tea it is."

Frankie settled herself on the couch and looked around the cozy living room. Toys littered the floor as family portraits decorated the walls. She smiled, wondering what it must be like to be part of such a loving family. Henry seemed to be about seven by the photos and Frankie noted JJ's husband seemed genuine and handsome. The picturesque family. She couldn't help but be a little jealous. She was still unsure of why JJ had asked her over but her nerves were at an all time high as she wrapped her hands tightly around the tea mug JJ offered. 

"You said I didn't know," Frankie reminded. 

"Look, Frankie, I'm not sure how to tell you this," JJ started as she sat down on the couch. JJ took a deep breath to calm her own nerves before finally getting out what she had been holding back, "Emily, well, Emily isn't dead."

Frankie stiffened as her mouth fell open in disbelief. She looked at JJ questioningly as she searched for words. JJ simply rested ehr hand on Frankie's thigh and continued.

"I'm sorry you didn't know. I didn't even know she had a sister," JJ hadn't meant harm by the statement but she saw the sting in Frankie's eyes. Truth be told, JJ was rather hurt at the notion as well. She had always thought she knew Emily better than anyone but now she was wondering just how much Emily had held back from her over the years. "Emily had gotten involved with a very powerful, very dangerous man who abducted her. He nearly killed her but the doctors were able to stabilize her and she pulled through." JJ teared up thinking about that night in the hospital, the night she had been the one to tell the team Emily had never made it off the table. The night she had taken on the burden of being the secret keeper. The night everything had changed. 

"She's alive?" Frankie finally managed to whisper through her tears. 

"Yes, she's alive. She had to fake her death in order to flush out the criminal behind her abduction. She held up in Paris under an assumed identity until it was safe to return, it took us six months to track him down but we got the bastard," JJ continued. 

"And Emily... has been alive this whole time?" Frankie repeated the question to be sure she wasn't imagining the conversation. 

"Yes, Frankie. Emily is alive and well. She works for Interpol in London," JJ finished as she gently rubbed Frankie's thigh. 

Frankie paused for a moment before she burst into a roar of laughter. JJ was taken aback by the sudden exuberance and pull her hand back as if to recoil from a hot flame. She let Frankie laugh until she cried and soon she found she was laughing at the absurdity as well. They laughed until tears fell down their cheeks and they were out of breath. 

"Do you know, I haven't talked to my sister in nearly twenty years and for the past four years I thought she was dead. I found out through coincidence and I spent months trying to find more information on what happened. I have spent the past four year, four fucking years, in hell because I thought my sister was dead and I never said goodbye. And she's just been off in London?" Frankie's face went flat and she was no longer laughing. JJ could see how angry she was. "Four fucking years and she couldn't even call me? 'Hey Frankie, just in case you hear news I'm dead I'm not. I'm actually fine so don't worry about it.' Nothing? Are you fucking kidding me?! And YOU people? With all of your technology at the FBI you couldn't do the decent thing and tell immediate family that Emily wasn't actually dead? Do you have ANY idea how much hell I've been through?"

JJ pursed her lips thinking of something to say. She had been the one taxed with helping Emily to escape into her new life in Paris after Ian Doyle had almost taken her life. JJ had been the one to have to lie to her team every day when they talked about Emily. She had spent week after week holding Spencer on her couch while he sobbed into her chest over the loss of his friend, over never having a chance to say goodbye. She had watched the FBI place Emily's photograph on a wall of fallen heroes. She had gone to sleep every night wishing so desperately she could tell her friends the truth. Faking Emily's death had taken such a major toll on JJ but she thought after Emily came home and the dust settled she would be able to move on, yet here she was. In the cross hairs yet again for a decision she had made four years before. 

"Frankie..."

"No, no it's fine. I'm sure it's all a big fucking joke to you FBI types. Faking someone's death is probably an everyday occurrence for _national security_ or what have you. But the fact of the matter is, Emily has been alive and I have been grieving, alone. I have been alone this whole time and she didn't even have the common courtesy to call me. I don't know why I'm surprised, my own mother didn't even call when she _died_."

JJ sat up straight realizing there was so much Frankie was unaware of and wondered how it had suddenly become her burden to have to divulge such secrets to the brunette. JJ wondered why Emily had never even mentioned she had a sister but decided that was none of her business for now. She wanted to be as helpful as possible but there were so many things to discuss she wasn't sure where to begin. 

"I can tell you why the Ambassador didn't call, Frankie," JJ began. "I was actually on assignment overseas but our unit chief, Agent Hotchner, had called me as soon as Emily went missing. I rushed back to DC as fast as I could to help find her. The night of the incident Emily was really touch and go. She had been stabbed through the abdomen along with various other injuries. When Derek, Agent Morgan, got to her in the warehouse she was begging him to let her go. She was ready to die and if we had not have made it when we did she would have. Seeing as I was the closest to Emily I volunteered to call Elizabeth and fill her in on what had happened. I called her from the ambulance but it went to voice mail. I begged her to call me back as soon as possible. We made it to the hospital and Emily was rushed into surgery. I tried your mother again but again it went to voice mail. Emily lost a lot of blood and she coded on the table twice before they managed to stabilize her. It was Hotchner's decision to go along with the storyline that she had died, as a way to protect her until we could track Doyle down. I was the one who was taxed with telling the team and in turn, your mother. When she called me back hours had passed. You see, Emily was always getting herself hurt in the field and Elizabeth thought everything would be fine and chose not to return my calls immediately. Unfortunately, that night was different. I had to be the one to tell a mother her daughter was dead. I was sworn to secrecy for Emily's safety and I had to deliver the news to make it believable to the rest of the team. Elizabeth lost it. She had a complete break down and ended up in the hospital after she refused to eat for a week. I had to live with that burden. She missed the funeral because she was too weak to get out of bed. It wasn't until Emily was stable enough to be transported to Paris that I was allowed to tell the Ambassador the truth, but the damage had already been done. To this day she won't speak to me, not that I blame her. But you see? She didn't contact you because she couldn't."

"So all of this is your fault?" Frankie asked dryly. 

JJ wiped tears away and shrugged, "We had to protect Emily. It was the only way."

"Yeah, right," Frankie sighed. She looked down at her tea for a moment before she realized the obvious question, "If you know all of this, then what were you doing at Emily's grave today?"

JJ blushed and averted her eyes. She had been waiting for this seemingly innocent question to come up all afternoon. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to share seeing as the truth was painful and complicated. It had started long before she visited Emily's grave that afternoon. It had begun the night JJ accompanied Emily to Paris once she was stable. JJ still wasn't sure what had changed between the two but there had been a certain spark which ignited on that long flight across the Atlantic. Something had changed between the two women that there were no words for. Whatever it had been was still alive when they landed in Paris and it was that spark that lead to everything to come. JJ had never cheated on Will before, had never even fathomed she would be capable of infidelity yet there she was in the throes of passion with Emily Prentiss. It started out casual, just a fling, Emily left Paris with her assumed identity and JJ returned to Afghanistan. Yet months passed and JJ craved Emily's touch, her kiss, her warmth. They kept in touch while Emily was under cover but nothing could compare to that night in Paris. 

Once Emily was finally able to return to DC things became complicated. JJ began finding it harder to be around the brunette without wanting more. Eventually the thirst overwhelmed them, drowning the two in desire, and they fell into a regular affair. An extra night "on the job" here and there allowed them to be together under Will's nose. He never suspected a thing. It was nearly too easy or so JJ thought. She convinced herself her affair with Emily was nothing more than a fling and would never lead to more, because JJ knew _more_ meant things would get messy and she wasn't entirely ready to deal with any aftermath. 

Things went well between the two for sometime, nearly a year without anyone the wiser of their charade. Emily had wanted to take their relationship to the next level, she wanted to make it real. She had even been secretly shopping for a home in hopes that JJ would leave Will and be with her. IT was never supposed to be more than sex but love is tricky that way. 

Emily had said it first. She broke the rules and she fell in love. When she told JJ how she felt JJ fought ever urge to repeat those same three words back to the brunette but JJ had so much at stake. She had panicked. She told Emily she didn't feel the same though it was a blatant lie. It crushed Emily completely. That was the day of the bank robbery, the hostage situation and the bomb. When the bank blew and JJ was screaming for Will, Emily knew she would never be JJ's first choice. Out of spite she decided, on a whim to take the job in London, to get away and make a clean start. Seeing that Emily had made her choice JJ decided it was finally time to stop leading a double life and she agreed to marry Will. It was a decision made out of anger and it was one she had come to regret over the past years. 

The night Emily left was JJ and Will's wedding. The two had barely spoked since JJ had decided to get married but Emily wasn't going to let go so easily. On the night of the wedding she begged JJ to be honest, to be true to herself, to admit she felt the same for Emily as the brunette felt for her. And even in that moment, both women in tears, Emily on her knees, pleading for JJ to tell her to stay, even then JJ chose Will. And Emily left. She left that same night on a red eye to London, never planning on looking back.

Time passed and Emily started to make a name for herself in her new career. As days turned to weeks, into months, and finally years, she seemed to have healed from the chasm JJ had left in her soul. Until the day she received a call form Hotch. JJ had been abducted and they needed Emily's help to rescue her. Just like that Emily was right in the midst of it all again, she dropped everything and took to the first flight to DC. Upon rescuing JJ, the two had shared words which had been long overdue which opened those same old wounds. 

"JJ?" Frankie asked, seeing that JJ was clearly somewhere far away. 

"Yeah, sorry. I just, I guess I just go there sometimes to clear my head," JJ confessed. 

Frankie was well aware JJ was avoiding the question but she decided it wasn't quite her place to pry into the blonde's history with her sister. They each sat in silence lost in their own thoughts for a while, listening to the rain tapping against the windows. 

"Frankie?" JJ whispered after a few minutes, "Do you want to talk to her?"

"Talk? To Emily?" Frankie repeated, having not even thought about having the option to simply call her sister up ont he phone and have a conversation. Up until that day she had thought she had missed every chance to ever make amends and now this woman was offering to call up her sister like nothing had ever changed between them. It was as if the past twenty years had never happened and she was eighteen again. It's odd the things people take for granted when they think they will have tomorrow to say the things that really matter. 

"I mean, I think we should call her," JJ stated. JJ knew she was the last person Emily would want to talk to but this was far beyond their relationship, this was about Frankie and Frankie deserved to talk to the sister she had spent the last four years grieving. She deserved to hear her sister's voice again. She deserved at least a phone call. After four years of thinking her sister was dead, it was the absolute least JJ could offer. 

"Okay." Frankie replied, as she began shaking at the thought that in moments she would be talking to the woman she had only imagined for the better part of two decades. The woman who was all but a ghost to her. "Okay, can we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Frankie subconsciously rubber her tight shoulder muscle underneath her tshirt sleeve. JJ watched the brunette with wonderment, as if she was watching the woman she had been so close with for so long yet at the same time Frankie was a complete stranger. JJ noticed the black ink on Frankie's arm and pointed. 

"You two have matching tattoos?"

Frankie looked down and traced the outline with her finger, "We had fake IDs in high school and thought it would be a good idea. Emily made me go first to prove it wouldn't hurt. But the outside of the shoulder and the inner pelvis are two totally separate areas."

Frankie paused, realizing there was only one way JJ could possibly have known about Emily's tattoo. She had held her tongue when JJ had avoided her precious questions but this simple slip up confirmed what she had expected, JJ and Emily had been together. Frankie wasn't sure the full extent of the relationship but she knew that JJ was here in DC and Emily was half a world away so whatever had happened had long ended. 

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Frankie asked. 

"It was a long time ago," JJ sighed as she continued to play through those final days in her head. Emily had come back to DC when JJ had been in peril. When JJ had been abducted and tortured it had been Emily she had hallucinated in her darkest moments, it was Emily whom she had prayed would come to save her and she did. Emily had arrived just in the knick of time and so many words passed between them without a sound. When all had been said and done the team had gone out to the bar, JJ made an excuse to steal herself away from the group and go outside to catch her breath. Emily had followed suit. 

"You're doing it again," Frankie smiled innocently. "You're getting lost in the past. Trust me, I know how dangerous that can be."

"Yeah, right," JJ whispered as she brushed away a single tear. "Are we going to do this?"

"I would like to, if you don't mind I think I'll just sit back and listen. I doubt she wants to talk to me after all this time but I just want to hear her voice," Frankie admitted. 

"Ha. I doubt she wants to talk to me either but we can try." JJ took out her phone and thumbed through her contacts until she found Emily's information. She took a deep breath and let her thumb hover over the green send button for a moment before finally committing to the call. She placed the call on speaker phone and set her phone in the middle of the coffee table. JJ reached over and held Frankie's hand as the phone rang. 

"Prentiss."

"Em?" 

"Jennifer? What's wrong?" Emily asked flatly. Frankie covered her mouth as tears began streaming down her face at the sound of her sister's voice. She quickly had to leave the room as the emotion was too overwhelming for her to stay quiet. JJ nodded and pointed towards the hall bathroom as she picked up the phone and turned off speaker. 

"Nothing, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk, if you have a minute." 

"It's been a long time, Jennifer. Why now?"

"Emily, I'm sorry it's been so long," JJ confessed, somewhat embarrassed. "I didn't know what to say. I mean after what happened that night..."

"What happened that night was a mistake, you made that very clear. It's been a year and not so much as a text, yeah I think I got the message." Emily spat out the words as if she was disgusted that JJ would suddenly call her after such a long period of silence. 

"You're right, you have every right to be upset. But I need to talk to you about something else, Emily. Something important," JJ tried to steer the conversation back on course but apparently Emily would have none of it. 

"Jennifer, you kissed me. YOU kissed _me_! You said there would be no more lies and then you proceeded to kiss me. And just when I thought things couldn't get better you panicked. I don't know why I ever thought things could be different. I guess I just thought, maybe, just maybe you'd love me too."

"Emily, that's not fair."

"No, you know what wasn't fair? Me waiting for you at that terminal. Me standing at the airport waiting for you, when you pormised you would meet me there. When you said you'd run away and come back to London with me. Do you know how stupid I felt once I realized you weren't coming? Once I realized you got scared and you went back to Will, just like you had before I moved to London. He was and always will be your end game, Jennifer."

JJ choked back tears as she sobbed into the receiver, "Emily."

"No, I don't know why you called but you should have held your breath. It's too late, I don't want to hear it."

"Emily," JJ cried, finally finding her words again. "It's your sister. It's Frankie."

The phone went silent for a moment.

"Emily? Are you there?" 

"How do you know...what do you know about Frankie?" Emily asked with urgency. 

"Frankie is here. In DC. Emily, she thought you were dead," JJ whispered. 

Again a moment of silence before JJ could hear some clamor in the background, "She's there?"

Frankie reentered the living room and JJ looked up into her tear stained face, she looked so much like Emily is was haunting. JJ motioned her back to the couch and patted the space next to her where Frankie sat down tentatively. JJ put the phone to her chest and lowered her voice.

"Do you want to speak to her?" 

Frankie nodded her head slowly. JJ smiled and squeezed her hand encouragingly as she passed the phone over. Frankie listened to Emily's breathing on the other line for a moment before finally breaking the silence. 

"Em?"

There was another pause and a shift in Emily's voice before she finally answered, "Frankie?"

"I thought you were dead, Em. I thought," Frankie couldn't make words and began to sob. 

"Frankie, stay there. Stay there, okay? I'm on my way."

Without another word the line went silent and Frankie sat trembling on the edge of the couch. JJ slowly took the phone from Frankie and wrapped her arms around the stunned brunette. As soon as she had Frankie in a full embrace they both fell apart. Years of anguish tore them apart as they sobbed into each other's arms unabashedly. 

"Are you going to tell me the truth? What happened between you two?" Frankie finally asked as she wiped her face for the umpteenth time that afternoon. 

"I feel like I should be asking you the same thing," JJ snipped. 

"Well I assume mine is far worse than anything you could have done. I tore our entire family apart and until today we haven't spoken since we were teens. I assume that's why you've never even heard she had a sister. I always wondered if she had forgiven me but it's obvious I have not been so lucky. We were young, so young but I did unforgivable damage and I have suffered for it. We all have," Frankie explained.

"Well, I'm sure after all of this time you two can make amends. You're sisters, after all," JJ sighed, it was her turn to talk about the rift she had caused between herself and Emily. "I managed to alienate her when she's could possibly be the only one who ever gave a damn about me. She has always been there for me and she offered me such a bright future and I fucked it up. Last year she had come to help on a case when someone from my past had abducted me. I swore I was done lying, I had all intentions of telling her the truth about how I really felt. She asked me to go to London, to run away with her like some sort of fairy tale. I came home that night with intentions of following through. But after two days of being tortured, nearly to death, my son collapsed in my lap. He wouldn't let me out of his sight and I knew I couldn't leave. I could never leave without him," JJ looked lovingly at Henry's picture on the wall. 

"So why not bring him with you?" 

"It just wasn't that simple. Long story short I fell asleep for two days and when I finally woke up, aware of the promise I had made, it was too late. Emily was gone. I missed my chance and now I fear that she'll never give me another. She has already waited so long for me, she won't wait forever," JJ sighed and looked at her coffee cup. "Well, I don't know about you but I could do with something a little bit stronger after all of this."

"I'm fine but I think I could do for some sleep before Emily arrives," Frankie yawned. She hadn't slept in nearly twenty four hours and it was beginning to take it's toll. She was physically and emotionally drained and knew she would need to rest before facing her sister.

"If you'd like you're more than welcome to sleep in my guest room. Or if you'd like company, you can join me upstairs," JJ offered the latter tentatively as to not imply any innuendo. Ever since her ordeal the previous year she had trouble sleeping alone. Especially since Will had moved out, she welcomed the opportunity at another warm body nearby. 

Frankie understood completely as she too suffered from anxiety and she openly accepted JJ's offer. The two made their way upstairs and snuggled into bed. There was something so comforting about having another person wrapped around her as Frankie finally drifted off into the deepest sleep she had received in months.


	4. Chapter 4

"EMILY! EMILY!" 

Frankie jolted awake to find JJ in the middle of a night terror. JJ was shaking in her sleep and crying out, Frankie propped herself up on her elbow and gently rubbed JJ's back until she finally woke up. The blonde rolled over with tears in her baby blue eyes and looked at Frankie. For a second she forgot where she was and wrapped her arms needly around Frankie's neck and pulled her close. 

"Emily?"

"JJ, it's me Frankie."

JJ pulled away, embarrassed. Her face dropped into dismay as she sobbed into her hands. Frankie rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her. JJ shrugged off the offer of comfort, too ashamed she had, even if for a moment, though it had been Emily lying beside her. She curled into a ball and cried. Frankie took the hint and left her alone in the bed. They had only slept for three hours yet Frankie felt oddly awake. 

She made her way downstairs and put on a fresh pot of coffee. Even if Emily had somehow managed to get a flight out of London nearly immediately it would still be hours before she arrived. Frankie sat at the kitchen table alone, listening to JJ sobbing in the distance. She wished she could help the blonde but she knew all too well what if felt like to be broken. Frankie had spent too many years sobbing into pillows after waking up in a cold sweat from panic attacks and night terrors. She hadn't been through the physical torture JJ had but she knew the mental anguish. How was she supposed to hold it together when she too was so damaged? Time slipped by and Frankie sipped her coffee in solitude until JJ finally made it downstairs. 

"I'm sorry about that," JJ whispered. 

"I know what it's like to have demons that haunt your dreams, Jennifer."

JJ shuddered. Emily was the only one who ever used her full name and to hear it fall so easily from her mirror image made her nearly lose herself again. Frankie immediately read JJ's expression and stood up, embracing her. JJ rested her head on Frankie's shoulder and let out an exasperated sigh. She had started the day with a simple trip to Emily's grave to clear her mind and suddenly she was standing in the kitchen with a woman who looked exactly like her ex lover in the midst of a whirlwind of emotion. It was an odd turn of events to say the least. JJ's phone rang from the other room bringing her back to reality. 

"Jareau."

Frankie did her best not to eavesdrop but the echo of the empty house made it nearly impossible. From the side of the conversation she could hear it did not sound positive. JJ hung up the phone and reentered the kitchen frowning. 

"I need to go pick up Henry," she stated. "That was Will he got called into work. I hope you don't mind, make yourself at home while I'm gone. There are fresh towels in the linen closet if you'd like to shower or take a hot bath. I'll only be gone an hour or so."

"Thanks, I may take you up on that offer," Frankie smiled as JJ grabbed her purse and headed out into the rain. 

_________________________________________________________

Frankie woke up to the sound of a phone ringing in the distance. She groggily reached for her cell which was usually located on her nightstand, to her surprise she managed to roll off the couch instead. She sat on the floor and blinked into the darkness as she tried to gather her thoughts. She remembered she was at JJ's and realized she had fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for Emily to arrive. _Emily_. Just the thought of her sister's name sent chills down her spine. This was the moment she had been waiting for, she was finally going to make her peace with Emily. 

The ringing stopped and Frankie managed to get the lights turned on before searching for the phone. A bright flash of lightening, and roaring thunder startled her as she finally located JJ's cell phone on the kitchen counter. She must have left it when she left, Frankie shrugged. She was notorious for leaving her phone behind so she didn't think much of it. As she was holding the cell it rang again, her sister's face showing on caller ID. 

"Hello?"

"JJ?" 

"No, it's Frankie." 

"Hey, I'm at the airport. Should I rent a car or..." Emily asked. 

"Oh, well JJ went to pick up Henry," Frankie frowned and looked at the clock. "But that was hours ago. She left her phone behind but I could come and get you."

There was a pause as Emily thought over her options, "No, I don't want you to get lost in this weather. I'll rent a car and be there in about thirty minutes."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Frankie?" Emily added before hanging up, "Can you call me when JJ gets back?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's nothing. I'll let you know when she gets back."

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

The line disconnected and Frankie looked around the house. JJ had mentioned she would only be gone an hour, two tops and now it was well past midnight. Frankie sat back on the couch and tried to take deep breaths and clear her mind, she was overreacting. There had to be some obvious explanation. Maybe JJ just waited for Will to get off work, that was it. Frankie sighed, she had spent the whole day waiting on her sister and she felt overwhelmed. 

She went upstairs and found the towels in the linen closet, slipped off her clothes and jumped into the shower. The hot water felt relaxing against her tight muscles. She washed her hair and wrapped the towel around herself. Frankie wiped the fog from the mirror and brushed her hair with her fingers before putting her clothes back on. Just as she finished up getting redressed she heard the doorbell. 

She took a deep breath, one last glance in the mirror, then made her way downstairs. She opened the door but instead of Emily she found herself looking at a tall blonde man with a detective badge around his neck. She felt sick as the man spoke to her. Her pulse was so loud in her ears she couldn't understand what he was saying. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts before asking the most obvious question.

"Sir, can I help you with something?" Frankie asked as she held the door protectively in front of her, only peaking through a crack. 

"Sorry, my name is William LaMontagne. Will if you wish," he smiled and reached out his hand. Frankie opened the door and shook it firmly. "And I must say, you are the spittin' image of your sister.

"JJ's husband?"

"Ex husband," Will corrected with a certain bitter tone. "You must be Emily's sister, Frankie?"

"I am but I have to ask, where's JJ?"

Will sighed before lowering his eyes, "Frankie, there's been an accident. I need you to come with me"


	5. Chapter 5

Frankie followed instructions and loaded into the front seat of Will's car. She buckled her seatbelt and looked at the mysterious man who had come to whisk her away into the night. She felt uneasy but she knew she wanted to be there for her new friend in whatever way she could. Once inside the vehicle Will explained that JJ had never come to get Henry and he had gotten worried about her, he was still listed as her emergency contact and had received a phone call form the hospital saying JJ had been in an accident. She had suffered some head trauma but was expected to make a full recovery they wanted to keep her over night for observation. He had managed to get a hold of JJ at the hospital who had explained that Frankie was still at her house and was probably worried so he had been sent to pick her up. Frankie had grabbed JJ's phone and planned on calling Emily once they arrived at the hospital to fill her in on the details. 

They arrived to the emergency room but JJ had already been moved to the main hospital for her overnight stay. A nurse showed them on the map where she had been taken and they made their way to her room in silence. 

"Jennifer?" Frankie whispered as the entered the quiet room. They found JJ asleep in her bed behind a privacy curtain. Will was called away by a nurse to fill out paperwork and Frankie took the spare moment of privacy to call her sister. She sat down on a couch near the window of the room and pulled out JJ's phone, scrolling through contacts until she came across her sister's name. The phone rang a couple of times before a husky voice answered. 

"Jay?"

"Nope, still Frankie."

"Did JJ get home?"

"Emily, I don't want you to be worried but JJ was in a car accident. She's okay but the hospital is holding her overnight. I'm here now and she's currently sleeping so I don't know if you want to come here or if you want to meet me back at my hotel maybe?" 

"No, if JJ is in the hospital I'm on my way to you. Which hospital?"

Frankie gave Emily all the required information and added, "Emily, I can't believe you're here."

"We have a lot to talk about," Emily replied. "I'll see you soon."

An hour later there was a knock on the door which startled Frankie and Will. Frankie got up and answered the door to find her mirror image staring back at her. She burst into tears at the sight of her long lost sibling and Emily did the same. They collapsed into each other's arms and stood at the door sobbing for what seemed like hours. A nurse even checked to make sure they were okay as she made her rounds. 

Hand in hand they entered the room and took up a place at a table near the end of JJ's bed. She was still happily passed out and under heavy sedation, the doctor had stopped in and explained she may be out for the night other than the hourly checks the staff would be doing to make sure she was okay. 

Upon seeing Emily Will's jaw went tight. When JJ left him she had admitted to cheating although she never disclosed whom she had cheated with. Will always had his suspicions that if anyone had known about the cheating when it occurred it would have been Emily and he held a grudge that she had never told him what was going on. Not that she owed him anything. She was, in fact, JJ's best friend and owed no allegiance to Will but he thought someone would have told him his wife was cheating. He never knew Emily had been the culprit and both JJ and Emily aimed to keep it that way. 

"Emily," Will whispered through gritted teeth. 

"Will," she replied curtly.

"She's been asleep since we got here but I'm sure she'd want to know you made it," Frankie chimed in trying to ease the obvious tension brewing. 

"No, I don't want to wake her."

"Well, I think I'll be more help at home with the little man," Will concluded sensing that Emily and Frankie wanted privacy. He forced a smile as he said his goodbyes and headed out the door, leaving the sisters alone to catch up. 

"Emily, I'm so sorry," Frankie started once they had the room to themselves. 

"Frankie, hun, you have nothing to be sorry for. We were kids and I forgave you years ago," Emily smiled as she squeezed ehr sister's hand reassuringly. 

"You have? I mean when you never wrote me back I assumed you never wanted to speak to me again."

"Wrote you back?" Emily asked.

"I wrote you letters for years," Frankie looked confused at the idea her sister had no idea what she was possibly talking about. 

"Frankie, I never received any letters."

Frankie shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't imagine that their mother would stoop so low as to hide the letters from Emily for so many years and leave Frankie forever wondering if her sister would ever forgive her for the travesty that had occurred. It was despicable to think her mother would do something so heinous. She decided to let it go for now, and focus on what was important. The fact was despite the years between them Emily was there now and that was all that mattered. 

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," Frankie sighed as she hugged Emily firmly. 

"Same to you."

"Will you two get a room?" a groggy voice chimed in. JJ was beaming back at them from the bed with the biggest shit eating grin stretched across her face. "Hello, Emily."

"Jayje. How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a truck."

"Hey, that's my line!" Emily laughed as she approached the bed. She locked eyes with those same sad baby blues which had entranced her so long before. She felt the butterflies in her stomach as she reached out and gave JJ's hand a gentle squeeze. Before anyone could say anything else the doctor entered the room for his hourly check.

"Ms Jareau, how are you feeling?"

"Dizzy, a bit foggy. My head is killing me," JJ admitted as she followed the doctors prompts and squeezed his fingers with each hand and followed the pen light to prove she was doing okay. 

"That's normal. You have quite a concussion. We'll be doing hourly checks on you overnight to make sure you're okay." he explained. Once the doctor was satisfied with JJ's responses he left the three women alone once more. 

Quickly feeling like she was in the way and knowing that JJ and Emily had a lot to discuss, Frankie yawned precociously. 

"Well, I'm exhausted. I should head out," Frankie offered as she winked at JJ knowingly. 

"I'll take you back to your hotel," Emily offered. 

"I was going to catch a cab," Frankie insisted, knowing Emily and JJ had plenty to talk about. 

"No, I think JJ will be fine for an hour," Emily replied looking to the blonde for approval. JJ nodded and gave a thumbs up. Frankie agreed and the sisters said goodbye and made their way to Emily's car. 

"She's really lovely," Frankie said as they got into the rental. 

"Don't go down that road, Frankie," Emily warned. 

"What? I'm your sister. I'd be at fault if I didn't tell you that JJ is absolutely perfect for you and you'd be an idiot not to go after her."

"I _did_ go after her. She broke my heart, twice. I don't think I have it in me to try again," Emily tightened her grip onthe steering wheel as they entered the highway. 

"Emily, things are different now. She's different now. I think you two are both too stubborn to see what is right in front of you. She left her husband for you, that has to mean something!"

"Did she say that?" Emily looked across to Frankie to monitor her sister's expression. This was news to Emily, seeing as last she heard Will and JJ were happily married. Then again things change over the course of a year but Emily couldn't help but be a bit hopeful to learn of JJ's divorce. 

"She said a lot of things but I'm not the one to tell. You need to talk to her, Emily. I think when you get back the two of you need to sit down and actually talk to each other. You both have proven you're great at assuming but you know what dad always said," Frankie looked at her sister.

"Assuming makes an ass of u and me." Emily finished with an overly dramatic sigh. The two chatted about nothing in particular for the rest of the ride and Emily dropped Frankie off in front of her hotel giving her one last massive hug. If she was able to mend things so easily with her sister whom she hadn't spoken with her entire adult life perhaps mending things with JJ wouldn't be too bad. She kept herself hopeful as she made the return trip to the hospital. 

Emily arrived back at the hospital and popped int he gift shop to buy a bouquet of roses. If she was going to be honest with JJ she wanted to make a grand romantic gesture of it all. She entered the elevator humming happily to herself. 

"Those are lovely flowers," a nurse commented. 

"I'm about to tell someone I love them," Emily grinned. 

"Well, best of luck! I hope they love you too!" the nurse cheered. 

"You and me both," Emily smiled as the elevator door opened and she stepped off and made her way down the hallway to JJ's room. A doctor and a herd of nurses rushed past her in a hurry, making her drop her arrangement. The vase shattered on the floor and Emily did her best not to curse in frustration. A janitor who happened to be walking by helped her clean up the mess and offered her some paper towels to wrap around her flowers so they wouldn't dry out. Emily accepted and tried to make the bouquet look festive once more.

She hummed as she walked, nothing was going to get in the way of her telling JJ how she felt and for the first time in a year she felt alive. She arrived at JJ's room to find the door closed, she knocked happily but before she could enter the same team that had nearly knocked her over came rushing out of the room wheeling JJ in her bed. 

Emily's heart sank. One of the nurses was straddled across JJ's chest administering CPR as they rushed past Emily and off through a set of double doors. 

"JJ!?" Emily called. The last nurse came out of the room with a forlorn look. Emily burst into tears, "Please, please what happened?"

"She had a clot that cut off oxygen to her brain, they're rushing her to surgery."

The flowers fell to the ground once more as Emily collapsed on the ground in a heap of sobs. The nurse tried to comfort her but she was too far gone. Once she could walk again the nurse escorted her to the waiting room where she sat alone and terrified. She couldn't help but wonder if the emptiness inside of her compared to what the team had felt the night they thought she had died. It was a void that could not be described, an abyss of despair. Through tears she fished her phone out and made the hardest phone call she had ever placed. 

"Will, it's Emily."

"Emily? What's wrong?"

"JJ had a blood clot. They're rushing her into surgery. I don't know if she's going to make it," Emily lost it just thinking she could possibly lose JJ before truly even having her back. "You and Henry need to be here."

"Of course, we're on our way."

The next hour felt like it passed in slow motion. Patients and staff whizzed by here and there but Emily felt stuck. She spent most of her time curled in a ball, sobbing. She only lifted her head when a familiar small hand tugged at her shirt. 

"Emily!" Henry beamed. 

She straightened up and pulled the small boy into her lap, "Hey buddy."

"Emily! Look at my truck!" Henry smiled as he produced a shiny red toy truck from behind his back. 

Emily forced a smile and nodded, "That's pretty great."

Will sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She wasn't usually one to break down, she had always been taught to be strong but the thought of losing JJ had shook her to the core. Finally, the surgeon came through the doors and greeted Emily with saddened eyes. Emily once again burst into tears. 

"It's too soon to tell but I think we got the clot in time," the surgeon explained. "She's being taken to ICU for the time being. She's still unconscious. We'll know more if she wakes up."

" _If_?" Emily asked as she wiped her face. 

"Again, it's too soon to tell. I'm so sorry," the surgeon showed them how to get to ICU and left. 

Emily was trembling from the news. She was just joking with JJ an hour before and now the doctor was saying _if_ she woke up. It was too much to handle. Emily made her way sullenly to ICU and pulled up a chair next to JJ who was hooked up to four different monitors. The robotic sounds were almost comforting as Emily sat next to her and gently brushed JJ's cheek. let her walls down and 

Minutes turned to hours as Will and Emily took shifts watching Henry who had eventually passed out. Will finally gave in and decided to take the young boy to JJ's mom's house so he could sleep. Finally alone, Emily let her walls down and let the anguish she had bottled up around Henry. 

“Jennifer, I don’t know if you can hear me but I just want to tell you that even in this moment you look absolutely stunning. You are so strong. I don't blame you for anything. You know I would have been here for you, I am here for you. God Jennifer, there’s so much I need to tell you. About how this past year has been absolutely agonizing without you. Or how I have wanted to call you everyday and was too scared. I need you to pull through this because I don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t imagine not having you here. Please, Jay don’t go. I need you to survive. Can you do that? Can you survive this for me? Because Jennifer, the truth is I love you. Do you hear that? I love you. You have to make it because I don’t want to spend another day without you being mine. I know you ended things with Will. We can do this. I’m yours if you’ll have me. So please, please be strong Jennifer. Be strong for me, please?” Emily sobbed as she laid a kiss on JJ’s cheek. 

The hours slipped by and soon night turned into day. Emily slept uncomfortably in a chair next to JJ's bed. In the middle of the afternoon the blonde stirred as her eyes started to open. Emily smiled happily and pressed the button to alert the nurses. The nurse and doctor came rushing in, asking a bombardment of questions. 

"Do you know your name?"

"Jennifer Jareau"

"Do you know where you are?"

"Presbyterian hospital"

"Do you know why you're here?"

"I was going to pick up Henry and there was an accident."

"Good, very good," the doctor smiled, then tested her mobility which she seemed to pass with flying colors. Emily smiled and only let go of JJ's hand for a moment so she could squeeze the doctor's hand. The doctor seemed pleased and left the two alone once more. 

"JJ, babe, it's me Emily." 

JJ looked into Emily's deep brown eyes and smiled, "Emily?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm here. It's going to be okay, I'm here now and I'm never going anywhere. I love you, Jennifer. And I think you love me too, please tell me this isn't a mistake. Please tell me you feel the same."

"Emily?" JJ repeated weakly. 

"It's okay. You don't have to stress yourself. I know you need your rest," Emily reminded as she tried to calm herself down and think of JJ's health. 

"Emily, who?" JJ questioned. 

/END/


End file.
